Georgia Law wins two regional tournaments; advances to nationals in three

Athens, Ga. - The University of Georgia School of Law recently took home the top trophy during the regional rounds of the American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition, held in Atlanta, and at the Texas Bar Association National Trial Competition, held in Memphis, Tenn.

Second-year law students Nneka A. Egwuatu, Emily A. Cook and Rory A. Weeks went undefeated through all five rounds of the ABA tournament to capture first place and the right to compete at the national level of the competition, which will take place in Chicago, Ill. in April. Additionally, Weeks received a Best Oralist award.

Securing the Region 5 championship title at this year's National Trial Competition were third-year law students Scott S. Eren and Grace N. Witte. The duo will now travel to Texas to compete in the national round this month. This is the third time in the last five years a team from Georgia Law has placed first in this regional competition.

"I am very proud of our students for what they have achieved," Georgia Law Director of Advocacy Kellie Casey said. "They each defeated a challenging field of competitors to earn the right to advance to the national rounds of these tournaments, and it is exciting to see their hard work pay off."

Georgia Law also fielded a team in a recent business law competition, where teams drafted and negotiated the terms of a hypothetical executive employment contract. Third-year law students Rachel E. Hudgins and Meghan R. Plantz placed second at the southeastern regional round of the Transactional LawMeet to advance to the national round, which will take place at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pa. this month.

Business Law and Ethics Program Instructor Carol Morgan said transactional competitions, like advocacy tournaments, give law students a chance to hone their practical legal skills.

"Transactional competitions, like the Transactional LawMeet, have emerged in recent years to provide opportunities for law students interested in transactional practice to build their drafting and negotiation skills. This experience is extremely valuable for our students to help them become more prepared for the practice of law," she said.